In August 2024, we celebrated our 10th company anniversary. What began with an idea from our product manager has evolved into high-quality, future-oriented solutions for smart buildings. We proudly look back on a decade filled with ideas, challenges, and successes.
The origins of PEAKnx
The impetus for the eventual founding of the company came more than a decade ago from our product manager, Gerald Palmsteiner. At the time, he had already been an active user in the KNX User Forum, had tested various touch PCs for smart buildings, and was not happy with them. The performance of the devices back then was inadequate, the hardware was poorly manufactured, and there was a lack of capacitive sensors and multitouch functionality.
The vision quickly became clear: to develop our own glass touch panel with a Windows operating system, 19 inches in size, which is more powerful, better processed, and more cost-effective, and can be flush-mounted into the wall.
From a hobby project to the company foundation
Gerald looked for suitable components, built, and scaled the first panel himself. After the testing phase in his own smart home, he presented it in the KNX user forum, and the community responded very positively.
Axel Dohmann, one of the founders of the Darmstadt-based PEAK group of companies under the umbrella of Dogawist Investment GmbH, particularly recognised the potential and was enthusiastic about the all-round device with its flush-mounted glass design and Windows 8 operating system. Together, the two KNX users decided to initially offer a DIY kit of the panel for ambitious hobbyists in the user forum.
This was well received, but as more and more users favoured ready-made products, the two “pioneers” took the next step to establish production and distribution of the panel on a professional basis: in 2014, the first finished products and replacement kits were sold under the brand PEAKnx.
This laid the foundation for PEAKnx, and company and employee structures were established in Darmstadt. For instance, our hardware developer joined us as a working student in 2014 and is still a permanent member of the team today.
Our milestones
After initial burdens in procurement and production, we were able to present ourselves as PEAKnx and introduce the new Controlpro premium touch panel for the first time at Light + Building trade fair in Frankfurt/Germany in 2016.
However, as the Controlpro was mainly considered a replacement product for the Gira Control 19 and was in the same upper price range, the next goal was to reach a broader market. Consequently, another milestone was the development of the more affordable KNX touch panel Controlmini as a replacement for the Gira ControlClient 9.
The KNX community in the forum also played a major role in the development of the Controlmini. Through ongoing interaction with users we were able to identify their needs and pain points, which formed the basis for series production. This approach helped us to build trust and establish our brand. To this day, we maintain transparency about our development progress through public beta tests and remain open to insights and honest criticism. By learning from mistakes, we continuously incorporate our experience to the development of our products.
At Light + Building in 2018, we proudly presented the new Controlmini and our newly developed visualisation software YOUVI, which won the RedDot Award the following year. The jury was impressed by the high-quality materials and the ease of use of the Controlmini in combination with the YOUVI design.
This great success motivated us to develop the smaller Controlmicro for our customers in the next development step. The Controlmicro can be flexibly mounted in portrait or landscape format on standard switch boxes, either as a surface-mounted or flush-mounted option. Like the other PEAKnx panels it can be used as a client or stand-alone device. With its two design variants, our smallest KNX panel won the RedDot Award ‘Product Design 2021’.
And this was in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, which we managed quite well thanks to our inventory capacities for the required parts.
We used the subsequent period to redesign the Controlmini and launch it in early 2024 under its new name, Control 12. The touch panel, now up to 300% more powerful with optimised thermal management and enhanced specifications has been very well received by our customers. This was also reflected in the numerous positive comments we received at Light + Building 2024. Another highlight this year was the launch of the new YOUVI version with a clearer design, new colour scheme and additional features.
Looking into the future
Today, PEAKnx GmbH employs around 20 staff members at our new location in Darmstadt and we have significantly expanded our market position over the past years.
Our motto ‘We bring the future into the home’ is a living reality and we remain committed to close cooperation with our community.
As we have in the past 10 years, we will continue to work tirelessly to set new standards in the smart home world and will pursue this goal with passion in the future.
By the end of 2024, we will launch the new KNX touch panel Control 16. We have already presented the prototype at Light + Building, generating excitement within our community.
In the near future, our new home automation server will be released, currently undergoing beta testing. The space-saving server for the control cabinet forms the basis for managing all building control tasks in single-family houses or multi-family blocks on freely selectable end devices.
In 2025, we will be introducing another new touch panel: the Control 8. Similar to the transition from the Controlmini to the Control 12, this new model will primarily feature changes to the internal components: modular technology, optimised performance and enhanced thermal management. The award-winning design of the panel currently known as Controlmicro will remain unchanged.
We look forward to another decade filled with technological innovations and solutions. We will continue to make our customers' lives easier, more convenient and safer in the smart home.
A big thank you goes to our customers, partners and employees for their support along the way. Without this trust, our success to date would not have been possible.
